Some Nice Things Online

Because I feel like we are all dealing with a lot right now

October 27, 2023

Media Diets

Before I dive into some of the fun, light, and silly internet things I’ve found on the internet this week, I want to pause and make it clear why. I do not think we, as informed global citizens, should ignore information about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the disastrous House Speakership votes, the latest mass shooting, or any of the other heavy stories that probably crossed your news and social feeds this week. Instead, we each need to cultivate an intentional media diet. Seek out high-quality news sources you trust, and make a habit of engaging with their stories. When social media feels overwhelming, full of raw emotion, or saturated with dubious information, you’ll feel okay stepping back from the doomscrolling. Because it’s not choosing to ignore the world; it’s being deliberate about how you consume information so you can be informed and effective. 

So, if you’re like me this week, informed but also a little overwhelmed, I’ve pulled together some mental break material we can all enjoy. But first, the links.

Platform Updates

Instagram & Threads

The Rest of Meta 

TikTok

YouTube

Google 

Apple

Amazon

Twitch 

Snap 

Twitter, Sorry X

The Product 

The Dumpster Fire

Twitter Alts 

Culture Movers 

Film & TV

Shopping

AI 

Bon Appétit

No, not the magazine. The catchphrase of cooking show pioneer, and I’d argue the first Influencer, Julia Child. I recently found a PBS YouTube channel that’s collected whole episodes of her different cooking shows. I’m obsessed. The recipes are great. It’s fascinating to see how different tools, ingredients, or food packaging techniques weren’t available or common when Child started The French Chef back in 1963. 

There’s also something charming and authentic about the production. This was the first cooking show ever, they were inventing the format as they went. If that side of things interests you, I’d also recommend checking out the HBO Max series Julia, starring Sarah Lancashire and David Hyde Pierce. 

Internet Artifacts 

Digital creator Neal Agarwal, recently published a neat interactive history of the internet. Internet Artifacts has a timeline of novel or significant moments in the development of the web, like the first spam email, the first Amazon order, or the peak of web design–the Space Jam website. 

A screenshot of Internet Artifacts for the Space Jam website page. It features a screenshot of the original webpage in a Netscape browser. You could navigate to different parts of the site by clicking on different cartoon planets orbiting a Space Jam movie logo. It looked really cool in 1996.   

Llama Escape Part 2

In February 2015, I got on a plane from Atlanta to San Francisco. When I was back on the ground, the internet had gone wild with obsession over two topics: the dress and two escaped llamas in Arizona. I’m never getting the space in my brain dedicated to these memories back. Anyway, a whole pack of llamas broke free in the UK this week. The video is very cute. 

Alt Text: A screengrab from the BBC video about the escaped llama. Six llamas are making their way down the road next to a highway sign. 

Wicked Movies

I mentioned the other week that I’ve been hosting a movie night series for friends here in San Francisco. As we go into this Halloween weekend, I thought some of you might enjoy the list I’ve curated and info on where to stream each film. Oh, and did I mention it’s all 90s movies?

Hocus Pocus (1993) - streaming on Disney+